Method of treating tobacco-leaves



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHAPMAN JOHNSON SYME, OF PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA.

METHOD OF TREATING TOBACCO-LEAVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 435,952, datedSeptember 9, 1890.

Application filed August 16, 1889. Serial No.82l,0l8. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHAPMAN JOHNSON SYME, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Petersburg, in the county of Dinwiddie and State ofVirginia, have invented a new and useful Method of Treating Tobacco-?eaves, of which the following is a specifica- This invention hasrelation to a method for producing wrappers from the natural leaf oftobacco for plug-tobacco.

The objects of the invention are to destroy the essential oils of theleaf, thus leaving merely the pulp or fiber, and this to be in ableached state. By a leaf thus altered an appropriate, neat-appearing,and convenient wrapper is'produced, one capable of being wrapped arounda plug of tobacco and snugly folded without danger of breaking, andcontaining none of the oils of the tobacco,whereby dust and dirt willnot readily adhere thereto, as in the natural state.

\Vith the above objects in view the invention consists in subjecting theleaves which it is desired to convert into plug-tobacco wrappers to abath in a solution of sulphuric acid and saltpeter, and subsequentlysubjecting them to a second bath of tartaric acid and warm water, andfinally to a bath of cold water for removing the efiects of thetreatment heretofore described.

In practicing my invention I take either the natural orartificially-cured tobacco-leaves and place them carefully in a suitablevat containing a sufficient quantity of sulphuric acid and saltpeter tocover the contents of the vat.

By experience I have found that the best results accrue from a bathproportioned about as follows: To one and one-half pints of sulphuricacid add siX gallons of water, preferably cold, and after dissolving addabout onequarter of a pound of saltpeter. These proportions may,however, be varied to secure different shades of color for the leaves;but care must be taken not to make thesolution too strong, or, in otherwords, of sufficient strength to destroy the texture of the leaf itself.The proportion of the saltpeter may be varied to modify the shades. Thetobaccoleaves are now removed from the vat in which the solution iscontained and are transferred to a second vat containing warm water andtartaric acid in suitable proportions, by which means all traces of thesulphurieacid solution are removed. The leaves are now subjected to abath of cold water, which removes all trace of the tartaric acid, afterwhich the leaves are hung up to dry. By this process all the essentialoils of the tobacco, together with the gummy coating of the same, areremoved, leaving only the pulp or fiber of the leaves, which pulp orfiber, it is observed, is bleached to a desired color or shade, saidleaves being left either light or dark golden and extremely pliable, sothat they may be readily folded about the plugs of tobacco. Thesulphuric acid acts to soften the gum and remove the oil from thetobacco-leaf, and at the same time so loosens the gum, by the aid of thesmoke by which the tobacco is cured, that it is prepared for the actionof the saltpeter. After the tobacco has been prepared by the action ofthe acid, as described above, the saltpeter thoroughly removes the gumsand oils and all effects of the smoking, leaving the tobacco bleached.

Having described my method, what I claim 1s 1. The herein-describedmethod of bleaching tobacco-leaves for the production of wrappers forplug-tobacco, consisting of subject ing them to a bath of sulphuric acidand saltpeter made into a solution, subsequently treating the same toabath of tartaric acid and water, and finally rinsing in clear water,substantially as specified.

2. A step in the method of treating tobaccoleaves for the purpose ofproducing wrappers for plug-tobacco, which consists in sub jecting themto the chemical action of a solution of sulphuric acid and saltpeter,and subsequently subjecting the leaves to a cleansing-bath,substantially as specified.

3. The hereindescribed method of treating tobacco-leaves for producingwrappers for plug-tobacco, which consists in subjecting them to a bathof sulphuric acid, water, and saltpeter in about the proportionsspecified from three to six hours, then subjecting them to a second bathof tartaric acid and warm water, and finally rinsing them in cold water,substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHAPMAN JOHNSON SYME. Witnesses:

S. A. JORDAN, O. H. MARSHALL.

